Tapper will anchor a weekday program on CNN. TVNewser hears it will be the 4pmET hour, currently filled by “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

Tapper’s departure, which has been speculated about since earlier this year, was announced by ABC News president Ben Sherwood in a memo to staffers this afternoon. “A ferocious reporter – and now a best-selling author – he has built a reputation as one of the most prolific and multi-talented journalists on the beat, scoring scoop after scoop,” Sherwood wrote.

People on Twitter are back-slapping new CNN prez Jeff Zucker for making a splash by signing him but rumors about Tapper being lured away appeared months before Zucker joined the network. Fishbowl DC had something about it back in May; Tapper responded at the time by saying, “Being the White House correspondent for ABC News is a dream job, one I’m focused on 100%. I couldn’t be happier where I am right now.” Ahem. Assuming there’s any truth in that, ABC must have failed to match CNN’s offer in some respect. Dave Weigel speaks for many, I think, when he says this:

Anyway. Where’s Tapper going to end up at CNN? The Fishbowl piece excerpted above says 4 p.m. ET but I assume that’s a temporary gig aimed at introducing him to viewers and getting his feet wet at hosting his own daily show. I’ve already seen a few tweets hoping he’ll replace this shrieking tool at 9 p.m., but Morgan’s poor ratings have improved lately and are bound to improve further, alas, after his grandstanding over Sandy Hook. CNN’s got room to maneuver in primetime, though: Right now they’re airing a re-run of Anderson Cooper at 10 p.m., so they could drop that and then schedule Tapper, Cooper, Morgan, and Erin Burnett any way they like from 7 to 11. Putting JT at 9 would be an interesting experiment considering that, with Hannity and Maddow both airing, it’s currently the most ideologically polarized hour on cable news. Is there room in there for a smart straight-news show? Hannity and Maddow are both ratings behemoths by cable-news standards, so maybe not. Maybe Tapper’s better off at 10 opposite Greta and Scary Larry O’Donnell.

Breaking on Hot Air

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Very conspiratory but one just has to wonder how much the White House made a few phone calls. Have it look like a promotion to host a show but at the same time Tapper will never be able to ask anyone at the White House a question again. Hard or enchanted not withstanding. Made the one really problem child at the WH press room go away and not punish the network he represents like they can do with at Fox. It has come to the place where this is still very possible and one would not pass them to try.

Lots of clapping on twitter for Jake’s move to CNN. He seems like a good guy, and he does seem a little more combative than the others. Still, ABC didn’t give this guy his own show for a reason. Yes, I know, it’s ABC, they’re stupid, etc. Still, they’re ABC. Perhaps they know something that we don’t know about Jakes’s ability to manage his own show. We’ll see. Hope he succeeds, but I’ll save the cheering until I actually see the show…

By the first few comments it is clear that a period of ‘low expectations’ has been reached by the left when HotAir readers have fallen under the mistaken impression that Tapper is interested in honest journalism. Were that the case he would have been fired by ABC for insisting that the “tough questions” he asks be answered. But he just lets the clown at the osium mock him..
whatever happened to the commenters who refused to take ‘what we can get’?

This is a true story of one’s desire to reach the
brass ring,the bitterness and clinging of one’s hope.
Its of a long and challenging journey to reach the summit
only to realize that you have lost your faith,hope and
religion!
Its high up on Bend over Backwards Don’t go There
Bigot Mountain,where even the angels dare to tread!
Its of faith gained and faith lost,and of one mans
obsession to throw it all away,and go to the darkside!
Will he keep throwing every one and everthing under the
bridge,or over the side,will hope prevail,or will he be
cast into the gapeing *pit of a black hole,where even
political light can not escape!
*(canopfor regrets the gapeing pit of a
black hole,and apologizes for any
likeness to an Astronomy phrase!)ha ha :)

By the first few comments it is clear that a period of ‘low expectations’ has been reached by the left when HotAir readers have fallen under the mistaken impression that Tapper is interested in honest journalism. Were that the case he would have been fired by ABC for insisting that the “tough questions” he asks be answered. But he just lets the clown at the osium mock him..
whatever happened to the commenters who refused to take ‘what we can get’?

Rio Linda Refugee on December 20, 2012 at 9:03 PM

THANK YOU.

You get a “journalist” who finds the odd nut and we should be happy with that? No, sorry. I’m not going to be satisfied with the crumbs that the liberal media (redundant) throw us and think that Jake Tapper is any more than the rest of them.

When did people on the right become battered wives happy for any positive attention regardless of the fact that we get kicked in the teeth on a daily basis?

I love Jake Tapper, but he is not going to save CNN in primetime. If viewers haven’t tuned into a “straight news” CNN program in the primetime block prior to now, are they really going to flip the channel because of Jake Tapper?

It seems like he would be better off in a daytime/afternoon slot at CNN than mired in its primetime line-up…

So, during the press conference the other day, when Tapper basically asked Obama “Hey Johnny-Come-Lately, who the f*** are you? And why should we take what you’re saying seriously, instead of treating it like a shallow-as-a-bedpan political ploy?” … was that his way of dropping the mic on the White House Press Corps?

I look forward with great amusement for the pathetic nitwit moderates to be shocked — shocked! — to learn what a douchebag liberal Tapper is, once he gets his freak on at CNN. He happily occupies the political ground to the left of Wolf Blitzer … he’s the biggest fraud in journalism.

Every once in a blue moon Tapper represses his inner biases, causing some conservatives to get boners. I’m not impressed.

Blake on December 20, 2012 at 8:59 PM

The people complaining about Tapper here are, imho, actually wanting reporters who are biased TOWARDS conservatism. Thus, an honest reporter who takes on both sides is not enough, since he/she will inevitably go after conservatives.

That’s how it should be. I don’t want a conservatively biased reporter any more than one who’s in bed with liberalism. If a reporter has the guts to go after anyone and follow a story regardless of who it affects that’s good enough for me. And, for my money, that’s what I’ve seen Tapper doing these past few years and I like it.

Tapper is a born and bred socialist dem. The “hard hitting” stuff is just an occasional attempt to be relevant. At CNN he’ll let his inner alinskyite shine. If he was what some pretend he is, he’d have raked Obama over F&F and Benghazi and all the senseless spending. NOne of this ever happened. As WC once remarked “he’s a sheep in sheep’s clothing”.

People like Tapper ask some tough questions, but they’re not interested in actually getting to the bottom of things and exposing the sins of the Obama administration. They just want to stir the pot a little, so it looks like they’re doing something.

Very conspiratory but one just has to wonder how much the White House made a few phone calls. Have it look like a promotion to host a show but at the same time Tapper will never be able to ask anyone at the White House a question again. Hard or enchanted not withstanding. Made the one really problem child at the WH press room go away and not punish the network he represents like they can do with at Fox. It has come to the place where this is still very possible and one would not pass them to try.

tjexcite on December 20, 2012 at 9:00 PM

You are right, but then again what would you put past this White House? I can’t think of anything, myself.